


Bad Deals

by orphan_account



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Handsome Rhys, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 12:25:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6195064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack, who is a simple programmer for Hyperion, gets contacted by a group of Pandorans to complete one simple task to receive a vault key: kill his boss and CEO of Hyperion, Handsome Rhys. However, Rhys finds out about his plans and puts a stop to them, forcing Jack to then take him to retrieve this vault key.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bad Deals

**Author's Note:**

> This AU is so much fun to write, oh my goodness. I’ve always loved the idea of ruthless CEO Rhys, so why not make him Handsome Rhys? I’m not entirely sure when/if I’ll add another part onto this, it honestly depends upon how it’s received.

Shit.

It was all a bad deal to begin with and Jack had really nothing else on his mind right then other than a _very_ simple word that summed up everything about his life in that moment:

_Shit._

Two pairs of strong hands were clenched tightly to each of Jack’s upper arms, dragging him unwillingly toward exactly where he _didn’t_ want to go. Even if he lived past a million years old, he didn’t want to face the consequences of a dumbass decision, especially when it could very well spell out the end of his life. And it all came from one very finite deal that could have landed him in the biggest riches and given him **everything** he could have ever wanted in life.

Assassinate his boss, the very CEO of Hyperion himself, the very one responsible for the resurrection and reconstruction of Pandroa, Handsome Rhys, and he would have been given a vault key. The very thing that _everyone_ in this shithole part of the galaxy wanted and craved most. It promised everything no one else could provide or even achieve without stepping foot into a vault first.

So, if he had one question now it’d probably be:

“Can ya blame me?”

“ **Shut up** ,” came the immediate response from the man on Jack’s right.

“ _Look, look, look_ ,” Jack readjusted his arms within their grips as they turned another corner, heading closer to Rhys’ office. “Fellas, c'mon, this is all just one big joke! _Ha-ha_ , it’s funny, right? _Come onnnn_ , you know you wanna laugh, it was a good one, yeah? I had ya going?”

A very small silence passed before the Hyperion guard on his left raised one of his hands and barreled it straight into Jack’s stomach. Pain errupted throughout Jack’s torso as he felt like his organs had just been thoroughly assaulted and he began to groan and cough.

Jack took a moment or two to regain himself before he uttered, “ _Oh my **God** , that was so unnecessary_!”

It seemed either of the guards were primed to tell him to shut up but another voice beat them to the punch. A very familiar voice and the last one Jack wanted to hear at that moment.

“Bring him in,” came Rhys’ chilling voice from the nearby intercom. Jack hadn’t even realized until now that they were face to face with Rhys’ office doors. _Double shit_. “I want to speak with him.”

Suddenly, the doors slid open with an ominous hiss, leaving Jack all the more apprehensive about the whole thing. This was the first time Jack had been into Rhys’ office. It was… Goddamn impressive, to say the least. Not a single expense spared. The room was expansive, a lot more space than was even necessary for just one person. Hell, Jack was sure an entire large crowd could fit into this room with enough comfortable space between them.

Lining each wall there were glass containers, holding a large array of different things. Some looked like trophies or artifacts, some were simply models of guns or even robots. It was an impressive collection that even Jack had to admire. But he didn’t have time to linger on it before he was tossed roughly to the floor.

“Jesus, _easy!_ ” Jack groaned as he pulled himself up slightly from the ground. “Didn’t your mothers ever teach you not to play so rough?”

Scowling, Jack stood on his feet once more, now extremely tempted to just face 180 degrees the other way and start sprinting like mad. Find a ship. Get the hell off of Helios. And find somewhere down on Pandora to call home. That feeling only increased once he caught sight of his boss approaching from around his large white desk.

Rhys was _tall_. Taller than he had any right to be. His form was slender, clad in a black and yellow waistcoat that extended behind him and about halfway down his legs in long tailcoats. Only one of Rhys’ striped sleeves extended down fully, the other absent to show off his chrome and yellow cybernetic right arm. What Rhys lacked in musculature he made up for in presence and intimidation.

A mask (which looked so damn near close to his own tone of skin, Jack had to wonder if it actually was made from skin) was tightly grafted onto his face, but it didn’t restrict his expression in the slightest. It was hard, the yellow in his left eye piercing in comparison to his right caramel one. His hair, which had a grey streak running on the right side, was finely slicked back, perhaps it had even been cut recently, and he looked about as pissed as Jack no doubt expected he would.

“So I think we need to have a little _chat_ ,” Rhys finally began as he stalked closer to Jack with each long and slow stride, now mere feet away from him. “Mind telling me what the _**hell**_ you thought you were doing?”

Jack eyed the CEO carefully, his gaze cautious as he stared down Rhys, “Trying to kill you, _obviously_. But now I’ve seen the error of my ways and you can let me go. Then we can all get back to our regularly scheduled lives. And probably laugh about this someday in the break room.”

“ _ **Don’t**_ be a smartass,” Rhys growled, his right hand coming up to grab at Jack’s throat. Jack had nearly forgotten just how strong said mechanical arm could be and it wasn’t the best time to be reminded of that either by getting a demonstration of its strength. “What made you think you could kill me, huh? What was the _big plan_ here?”

“You’re an ass,” Jack spat. “Do you know how many people would be glad you’re dead? I was doing a community service.”

Okay, so saying that was a bad idea. Rhys’ hand tightened, growing dangerously close to cutting his air supply off entirely.

Jack winced as he struggled to keep air flowing through his windpipe, “The big plan was to kill you and get a vault key, okay?! _There_ , happy?!”

That got a quizzical look from Rhys, his mismatched eyes studying Jack carefully for any hint of deception. A moment or two passed before he finally spoke once more, “And **who** were you getting this vault key from?”

Jack chuckled as best he could past the chrome metal hand around his neck, “No can do, Rhysie. You think I’d tell you the _**one**_ piece of information that’s keeping you from killing me? Forget it, pumpkin. _I’m not stupid._ ”

Rhys smirked very slightly, mirthlessly, “Maybe I should just kill you anyway. You could be a bigger headache to deal with than trying to get a vault key.”

“I’m callin’ your bluff,” Jack bit out, testing his luck when he knew he shouldn’t have dared to. “I know you. You _want_ that vault key. Kill me and you’ll **never** get the chance to get it.”

Silence passed between the two as Rhys considered his options, the atmosphere absolutely thick with tension. Jack had known that going into this situation always had the possibility of getting himself killed before he ever laid eyes on a vault key. So bearing that in mind, perhaps he had already made his choice to die from the beginning. He was living on borrowed time at this point.

“What’s your name,” Rhys demanded more than asked, his grip maybe even loosening just slightly.

Jack’s brow knit together, “Jack. Little late into the game to be asking my name, don’t you think?”

Rhys scowled slightly, “This is a shitty bargain you’re offering, Jack. How do I know you won’t try to just kill me if I let you live?”

“ _You don’t_ ,” he answered bluntly. “If it’s worth anything, maybe I’ll at least let ya _see_ the vault before killing you. Besides, if you think it’s gonna be easy peezey lemon squeezey if I just _tell_ you who was gonna supply this vault key then _hoohoo **boy**_ , are **your** jimmies about to get rustled.”

Rhys raised an eyebrow sharply before shoving Jack away from his grasp, one of Jack’s hands coming up to rub at the aching area, several deep breaths whisking past his lips. Fucker certainly had a _grip_ with that arm.

Crossing his arms, Rhys shifted his weight from one leg to the other, the motion somehow calculated and weighted, “You’re right. You’re not just gonna _tell_ me who you made that deal with.” A pause followed, Rhys leaning closer to Jack and glaring at him with that piercing yellow eye of his, “You’re gonna bring me right to them.”

  
—

  
Jack had been… _Cooperative_. Which was a word that just barely fit into its definition at this point. There wasn’t much choice for Jack other than to comply; dying didn’t sound like fun and hey, he was still on his way to get that vault key, _wasn’t_ he? Well, maybe it wasn’t like he planned. He definitely _didn’t_ plan for goddamn Handsome Rhys to still be alive at this point and accompanying him down to Pandora to retrieve the vault key in a Hyperion car being primed to launch down to said planet. What a mouthful of a situation _that_ was.

“Y'know, on the list of _bad ideas_ , I really think this is just the cream of the crop,” Jack muttered, not entirely caring if Rhys heard him or not.

That got a scoff out of Rhys, “Says the dumbass programmer who thought trying to assassinate me was a good idea in the first place. Somehow I don’t think you can judge whether an idea is good or not,” Rhys continued as he loaded a pistol and sheathed it within the holster buckled to his thigh. “All _you_ need to worry about is getting us to that little deal of yours and we’ll just kill everyone to take the key. _Capisce?_ ”

Jack pursed his lips tightly a moment before responding, “What the hell, shouldn’t _**I**_ get a gun then?”

Rhys just laughed, abruptly stopping only a second later before deadpanning, “No. You’re just the bait at this point. You don’t give _bait_ a **weapon**.”

“Right, yeah, because me coming down there without a _single_ weapon on me won’t look _at all_ suspicious to the local Pandoran psychos who practically came out of the womb holding a friggin’ gun!” Jack seethed sarcastically, moving to cross his arms but remembering his hands were bound in cuffs. Of course. He settled his hands back into his lap.

Rhys just shook his head, turning back slightly to gaze at Jack with his yellow eye, “Leave the bandit killing to _me_.”

“Should I also leave the _killing Jack once you’ve got the vault key_ to you too?”

“Only if you’re _lucky_ ,” Rhys quipped with a smirk.

“We are cleared for launch, sir,” came the sudden voice of the man in the driver’s seat of the car all three were piled into. He was covered in head to toe in the telltale signs of a Hyperion guardsman. “At your command.”

Rhys chuckled, “Good. Let’s go kill some filthy bandits and get a vault key.”

Just as Rhys finished speaking, the entire car seemed to rumble and shake, the sound of something charging up audible all around them. In a split second, there was a large blast and the car was in motion, being shot straight down to Pandora. The entirety of the container that held the car shivered violently as it began to enter the atmosphere, Jack squeezing his eyes shut in anticipation of the rough landing that was no doubt to come.

And there it came not a minute later. It sent a yelp from Jack as he was bolted from his seat and onto the floorboard, his fingers being crushed painfully against it.

“Ooh, _sorry_ about that Jack,” Rhys called out from the front passenger seat. “I guess we forgot to put a seatbelt on you!”

Growling in frustration, Jack got an idea. A very, _very_ bad idea. But there was just a small chance it would work.

Jack moved swiftly to bring the chain of his handcuffs around Rhys’ head and without hesitation, he brought the metal chain down across Rhys’ neck. He pulled once it found purchase on his stupid tattooed neck, attempting to choke the life right out of him. Not a moment later did the capsule around the car fly off, blinding Jack momentarily to the bright Pandoran landscape. But he didn’t let up in the slightest. He wanted to kill that bastard right _here_ , right _**now**_.

It wasn’t until a moment later that Jack realized Rhys was… _Laughing_? He was actually fucking _ **laughing?**_ How could he be laughing if he was getting the life strangled out of him? But then Jack felt a tug at his handcuffs and before he knew it, his face was getting pulled flush against the headrest of the passenger seat. His eyes widened as he realized that this situation had been turned around on him as quickly as it began. Rhys had managed to catch the chain with his right hand before it closed in on his neck.

“If you want to kill me,” Rhys warned with an estranged humor in his tone, “you’ll have to try much, _much_ better than that.”

“I was just trying to give you a hug,” Jack responded with grit teeth. “ _Around your stupid little **neck!**_ ”

Only a beat passed before Rhys commanded, “Stop the car.”

Immediately, the car began screeching to a halt as the guard floored the brake pedal, pushing Jack even further against the headrest of the seat. He tried struggling against the handcuffs but the more the metal dug into his wrists, the more painful it became. Finally, the car came to a complete halt, the sound of the passenger door clicking open before Jack finally had his arms freed. Well, relatively speaking. He pulled them back over the seat and had even considered knocking out the guard and taking the car for himself. But he knew the asshole driver would probably shoot him right in the face before he’d let that happen.

The especially bright light of the Pandoran wastelands greeted Jack fully as his door was yanked open roughly, Rhys wasting no time in grabbing the collar of Jack’s shirt and dragging him out. He landed on the sandy ground, the taste and texture of the loose dirt immediately finding its way into his mouth. Jack coughed and sputtered as he tried to pull himself away from the ground, spitting out the sand which only dried out his mouth in the process.

“Argh, you got friggin’ _**sand**_ in my mouth!” Jack shouted as he looked up at Rhys, his form towering over him and blocking the sun from his view momentarily.

Rhys just shrugged, a bemused smile on his face, “ _Oops_. Welcome to Pandora, Jackie boy. There’s a lot of sand here. _**Get used to it.**_ ”

He grit his teeth and bits of sand crunched in his mouth. Jack growled and moved to swiftly lunge at Rhys. But the sudden motion of Rhys retrieving his pistol and aiming it directly at Jack’s face stopped him short, the sharp click of the gun cementing that he was going to _stay_ on the ground. Whether he liked it or not.

“ _Ah-ah_ ,” Rhys warned with a higher pitch. “I wouldn’t if I were you. Unless you want to be _buried_ right here.”

Jack leaned back somewhat, trying to distance himself from the barrel of the gun, “Maybe if you build a giant statue memorial of me right here, then sure. Go for it, _**Rhysie**_.”

That got a scoff from Rhys, “ _ **Enough**_. I _was_ considering letting you have a cut of the loot from the vault for your cooperation, but if you keep trying to kill me like this, I’ll have to put you down before you even get to _see_ the key.”

“That can go both ways.”

“Whatever you say,” Rhys brushed him off. “Now where the hell is this meet up supposed to be, huh?”

Carefully, Jack pushed himself to sit up more properly, feigning a curious expression as he looked around, “Oh, I dunno! I don’t really recognize these rock formations. Maybe if we go a little more south, I’ll recognize a _slightly_ bigger rock, maybe one about the size of _**your fuckin’ ego–!**_ ”

A sharp and loud gunshot pierced Jack’s eardrums, making him flinch away from where the bullet landed in the ground between his legs, just inches from his crotch. With wide eyes, he looked back up to Rhys, his masked expression plagued with hints of annoyance.

“ _What_ did I say about being a smartass?” Rhys asked rhetorically, training the aim of his gun back at Jack.

Jack sighed sharply, “Look, I don’t even _know_ where we are right now! We should find a landmark or a town or– or something, and go from there!”

“I want the name of the place, _**Jack**_ ,” Rhys demanded as he took a step closer. “Where were you meeting these bandits?”

Raising a hand a bit defensively, Jack answered, “To be fair, they aren’t _really_ bandits, just a few business-like people that kinda sorta want you dead.”

Rhys’ shoulders slumped slightly; he was obviously growing impatient, “So they’re bandits. Now where were you meeting them and I _**won’t**_ ask aga–”

“ _Sir!_ ” Jack nearly jumped at the driver’s sudden voice as he rounded the front of the car, his body language shouting how nervous he was. “Handsome Rhys, sir!”

“ _ **What?!**_ ” Rhys shouted in response, turning his body just slightly to look at the other man. “Do _not_ interrupt me when I’m talking! Is that so hard?!”

“I’m sorry, sir, _truly_ ,” the man sputtered anxiously, “but we should go. Now. A car is approaching–”

Without warning, blood splattered from the driver’s head, a very obvious gunshot ringing throughout the air. The blood sprayed in masses onto the car, ground, and even somewhat onto Rhys. The man’s body slumped forward immediately and landed on Rhys, who was quick to shove the lifeless body to the ground in disgust.

“ _Shit_ ,” Jack hissed as there he spotted behind Rhys and quickly approaching from the distance a mangled looking vehicle, several bandits and psychos piled into it. Rhys was quick to turn and see exactly what Jack saw, his body immediately cringing away from another bullet that shattered the front windshield of their car.

Rhys wasted no time rounding the car and entering the driver seat, his movements much faster than what Jack comprehended in that moment. The only thing that broke him out of his momentary stupor was Rhys shouting at him from within the car.

“ _Get in the goddamn car, you idiot!_ ”

Jack didn’t dare sit there another second. The moment he moved, he could hear another bullet zip past him, knowing that if he hadn’t moved when he did, he could’ve very well been dead right then. Something that he was sure neither he nor Rhys would want at that moment.

Just as the passenger door slammed shut, Rhys was shifting the car into reverse and stepping on the gas, the car taking a moment or two before it gained any traction and began backing up faster and faster.

“ _ **Friends**_ of yours?!” Rhys shouted above the roar of the engine as it grew with each second.

Jack’s pointed eyebrows rose as he looked at Rhys with an incredulous expression, “ _ **What?!**_ No! Why the hell would these guys be my friends?!”

Rhys’ hands clutched tighter to the steering wheel, “Because you thought it would be a good idea to get all _**buddy-buddy**_ with some bandits to get a vault key! Birds of a feather flock together!”

“Well _**I**_ didn’t invite them!”

Both men ducked in response to another gunshot as it took out the rearview mirror, glass spraying everywhere. Jack even felt a piece dig a sharp cut into his cheek, but it was quickly glossed over with the adrenaline flowing through his body.

“Give me a gun!” Jack shouted the next moment, looking from Rhys to the approaching bandits. They were catching up. And _quickly_.

“Like I’d give you a gun, are you _**crazy?!**_ ” Rhys asked like Jack had just said the dumbest thing this side of the galaxy had ever heard. “I’m _**not**_ giving you a gun!”

The programmer turned wide eyes back to his boss, “No, are _**you**_ crazy! If we don’t get rid of them, _**we’re dead!**_ Getting that vault key won’t mean anything if we’re too dead to care! Now give me a gun!”

This made Rhys paused, forcing him to consider the circumstances quickly. His yellow eye seemed to come to vibrant life as he scanned the approaching threat. For what he was scanning, Jack wasn’t sure. But it seemed Rhys came to a conclusion.

“Shit, _fine!_ ” Rhys shouted, bringing his metallic hand down to his holster… Which was empty. He looked down momentarily, his eyes searching frantically and his eye glowing even more erratically. The eyebrows on his mask rose as he realized something. He brought his right hand back to the steering wheel, watching ahead in silence for a second or two.

“I _dropped_ the goddamn gun!” Rhys called out, berating himself more than anything for such a stupid mistake. He looked over to Jack, shaking his head, “I don’t have a gun!”

Immediately, Jack exclaimed, “ _ **What?!**_ Are you _kidd–_ ”

Another shot hit the car, the hood now beginning to billow with small wafts of smoke. They were growing closer. Jack was sure he could even hear some of the bandits laughing.

“There’s got to be _something_ we can use to get rid of these guys!” Jack said as he began searching around his immediate area, checking under the seat and to each side. Nothing. No such luck.

Rhys reached over, a gunshot ripping clear through his headrest only a moment after he’d moved. Not only were they getting closer but they seemed to be getting more accurate. Luckily for Rhys, he reached down into the glove box, moving his metal hand within to grab a small black stick. He offered it to Jack, who took it quickly.

“What _**is**_ this?!” Jack asked, confused more than anything else.

“It’s a stun baton,” Rhys answered simply as he sat up straight once more. “It’s all we’ve got!”

Jack looked at him with confusion and bewilderment in his expression, “What am I gonna do with a friggin’ _**stun baton?!**_ Get out and _**shock**_ them with it?!”

Rhys groaned, “It’s stronger than you think! Throw it at their car!”

Okay, Jack had to admit… This _wasn’t_ the best plan. In fact, it was probably at the bottom of the list of _worst plans ever._ But the more Jack thought about it, the more he realized they didn’t have much of a choice. The car seemed to be dying out faster and the bandits were _definitely_ gaining ground on them with each second that ticked by.

Sighing, Jack pressed the red button on the stick, the rod immediately extending and visible electricity flowing throughout the entirety of it. Jack had nearly rammed it into his face as they hit a bump, but he steadied it, moving forward to get a good angle to throw it with. Which would’ve been easier if he wasn’t still handcuffed to begin with.

“If I _actually_ hit them, and we get out of this alive,” Jack began, eyeing Rhys in his peripheral vision, “then promise you _won’t_ kill me after we get the key!”

“Sure, whatever, just throw it already!”

That was enough for Jack. It was risky leaning on the dashboard as he was, but Jack needed the clearest shot he could get. So he pulled himself closer to the shattered window, clutching the stun baton with both hands. There was a chance he would get shot before he ever threw it, but luckily, it seemed they were more occupied with trying to aim at Rhys than him.

Taking a deep breath, Jack brought the baton back slowly, priming his muscles, aiming it as best he could, and then he threw it. The baton flew through the air, on a roughly straight course before it began to spin and make vertical flips, the electricity sparking off its airborne form even more violently than before. In a split second, it cemented itself into the ground, the electrified end sticking straight out of the ground.

For a moment, Jack was horrified. He quickly looked back to Rhys, who looked pissed off more than anything else. But that quickly changed.

A sudden explosion filled the air, the blast rumbling the air and sending a shockwave toward their car. It shook the car, making Rhys’ hold on the steering wheel waver ever so slightly. It was then that Jack looked back to see what had exploded, realizing that the idiots had run over the baton and the electricity caused their car to burst into violent flames.

A grin was quick to find its way onto Jack’s lips as he shouted in joy, “ _ **Hah!!**_ Take _**that**_ , you mother fu—!!“

Immediately, Jack was forced back into his seat, the car having impacting into something hard and immovable. Before either Jack or Rhys could comprehend anything, the car was sent into the air, flipping backwards. The milliseconds felt as though they stretched on, as if time itself had slowed down. But time hadn’t slowed down. All too soon, the car landed with a hard thud, momentum carrying it tens of feet away from the impact before slowing to a halt.

Jack felt like his head was spinning as he realized the car had ended up on its left side. As his vision focused once more, Jack realized he’d landed on Rhys, which once Rhys realized this fact too, he wasn’t too happy about it.

“Ugh, get _**off**_ of me,” Rhys complained with a snarl, shoving Jack upwards with his mechanical arm. “Any day now, Jack.”

“I’m going, I’m going!”

Jack groaned, his body feeling sluggish after having dealt with such rapid movements. But he complied, pleased to see that somehow in the process, the passenger door had been ripped off. He climbed out, his body sliding out and down onto the ground with a hard thud. Groaning once more, Jack picked himself up and turned to see Rhys crawl out of the car before landing on his feet, brushing himself off.

“I can’t believe that _actually_ worked,” Jack remarked, dusting himself off as best he could with his hands still cuffed.

Rhys, now looking more pissed than ever before, snapped his chrome hand forward, wrapping his fingers around Jack’s throat, “ _ **You idiot!**_ This was all _ **your**_ fault to begin with!”

“Hey, I just _killed_ all those guys and _**this**_ is the thanks I get?!” Jack argued, grabbing Rhys’ metallic forearm in an attempt to lessen his grip. “Well shit, you’re very welcome, _cupcake!_ ”

Huffing a sigh, Rhys just let go of Jack roughly, using his flesh hand to brush his hair back into place, “That was a shoddy throw but alright. You saved us.” In a sarcastic motion, Rhys brought his hands together in a dainty clap. “Congrats. Way to go. Three cheers. _Better?_ ”

Jack rubbed his neck somewhat, “Could’ve done without the _**sarcasm**_ , but yeah. Much better.”

Rhys shook his head with frustration, bringing up his left arm, palm facing upward. A beam of light emitted from the hole in his palm, bringing up a holoscreen. Only a moment passed before a man in glasses was visible, “Yes, Handsome Rhys?”

“I need another car,” Rhys demanded, tilting his chin up slightly. “And _guns_. The good kind too, don’t give me crap guns.”

The other man on the line adjusted his glasses as he responded, “Yes, sir. Straight to your location?”

“ _No_ , Vaughn,” Rhys began sarcastically. “ _To **Elpis**._ **Yes** to my location!”

“Okay, okay, sorry, sir,” the man apparently named Vaughn said quickly and nervously. “Sending right away.”

Without another word, Rhys closed his hand, cutting off the call. He eyed Jack carefully before speaking once more, “Now, are you going to tell me where the hell we’re going? Or am I going to have to tie you to the back of this next car and drag you all over this shit hole of a planet until you tell me?”

Jack felt his lip twitch up into a small scowl, “It’s _Old Haven_ , okay? And don’t think about killing me now just because I told you! You promised you wouldn’t.”

Rhys scoffed, “I didn’t promise to not kill you now.”

Anger began searing through Jack’s words at that, “The hell you mean you didn’t promise– I just saved our asses! The _least_ you can do is not kill me.”

Rhys waved away his words, “I promised I wouldn’t kill you _after_ we got the key. You said nothing about just killing you _now_.”

“How about no one kills _anyone!_ Because **that** sounds like a really, really good plan to me, Handsome Rhys, sir! A fantastic plan, even! No one dying is a win-win for everyone!”

The mechanical voice belonged to neither Jack nor Rhys, causing both men to be… Extremely confused, to say the least. In fact, it was a voice that neither had expected. Both Rhys and Jack turned to see a small, metallic hand sticking out from the trunk of the wrecked car, feeling around for some sort of leverage to let its owner escape the trunk.

Without speaking a word, Rhys stepped over to the trunk and lifted the dented lid with little difficulty, looking down to see a small Claptrap unit, which had seemed to gotten badly dinged up during the crash. But to Rhys, and even Jack, it wasn’t damaged enough. _Because it was still functioning._

“What the…?” Jack began, absolutely confused. “Why is there a _**Claptrap**_ in your trunk?”

“Funny you should ask that, guy I’ve never seen before!” The smaller-than-normal robot started to explain. “It’s a _long_ and funny little story that I–”

“ _ **Don’t care**_ ,” Rhys interrupted.

Without warning, the trunk came slamming down onto the robot, the lid clicking down back into place. A yelp came from the robot, small clacks coming from within as it struggled to be let out again.

“H-hey! _Rhys!_ Handsome Rhys, sir, _wait!_ ” the Claptrap’s muffled voice protested, continuing to attempt at freeing itself.

“There’s our drop,” Rhys went on as if the robot still wasn’t trying to talk its way out of being freed, looking up to the Helios station far, far in the distance within the sky, a large and very obvious ball of fire heading towards them.

“Uh…” Jack began as he watched the trunk for a moment before returning his attention to Rhys. “So we _are_ just leaving the Claptrap… Right?”

Rhys raised an eyebrow as he looked over to Jack, “I’ll just leave you too if you even _think_ about suggesting bringing that bucket of bolts with us.”

Jack brought up his hands, “No! I was just asking. It was a general question, pumpkin. Don’t have to get hostile about it.”

“What can I say?” Rhys shrugged, eyeing Jack with that piercing yellow eye. “You make me want to be hostile. Now shut up and do everything I say from here on out and I _really_ might just let you keep living.”

 


End file.
